Warning: This is long but SO worth it. I promise! If you're planning on grabbing the new Growth Book, then this post is for you! We have some new sections rolling out in these journals and we would love to tell you what their all about.
A little backstory
But, to start, for those of you that may not know, Growth Book was dreamt up as a resource and tool to help my friend and I get back on track in our walk and growth with the Lord. We were stagnant, unmotivated, and stuck in a pretty deep rut. So, we decided enough was enough and set out on a journey to create a product that - paired with accountability - would keep us motivated, inspired, and passionate about our journey with God. It’s a journal that's meant to come alongside you as you read the bible, take notes on podcasts, pray/fellowship with others, and is meant to be your documentation of where God has taken you this year. As you go through it just know that we are declaring growth, freedom, increase, blessings, abundance, and life over you as you fill it up.
So, let's jump right in with all the details.
What to expect
The new Growth Book has 7 sections, 2 of which are new, and we came up with a little different, classy, and streamlined design that we think you guys will really love. Since everyones writing and journaling styles are different, we wanted the design to compliment all your notes, doodles, and drawings, while sticking with the original sleekness that we loved from the first one.
We also added
More pages - to make it as thick as we could without creating a bulky unmanageable journal to carry around.
Thicker paper - for people that like to write in different pen colors, draw, or paint.
Lay flat - so you can more easily write wherever you are, without having to hold it down.
More durable cover - for those people (like myself) that can't bear to go anywhere without it haha and want to take it around with them everywhere.
More color options - so that everyone could find something they love. Now there are 4 colors with the potential of us doing limited edition releases of other colors throughout the year. I can't even explain the level of excitement I have for that. I mayyy just take crazy notes so I can do like 3 Growth Books a year. Haha.
A thick pocket - on the back cover to hold all your stickers, and anything else you may want to put in there.
Other details
Growth Book was designed to give you a pretty good amount of pages to get you through your year, but you may find yourself journaling through a bit quicker or more slowly, and that’s ok. The point is to document your Growth as you are led and guided by the Lord, and to keep seeking him even when motivation is waning.
Also, remember that he devil is alive and active looking to steal, kill and destroy. So, drawing close to God is not promised to look or feel easy. You may feel resistance, a push back, or even discouragement, but keep pressing in. Do not give up. Pray and declare life over you and your household. There are different seasons you go through in your walk, and the beautiful thing about this book is that you can look back and see God’s hand in all the seasons of your life. And what I’ve found, is that in the seasons I felt most alone, I read back and saw that God had never left my side.
Before you get started
Pray - Before you even crack open your growth book, pray. Pray that God would lead you in his will for your life over the course of filling out this book. Pray that he would give you the huge faith goals to believe for, that He would perfectly orchestrate people coming into your life to walk with you on your growth journey, and that you would hear his voice louder than the voices in the world. He so deeply desires an intimate, personal, real relationship with you and we pray that you will see that abundantly as you journal through your Growth Book.
Accountability - We highly suggest you find a friend to go through your spiritual journey with you. You don’t necessarily have to be reading the same books, listening to the same sermons, or even living in the same state. We just recommend that you share your heart with them and you decide on regular check in points to spur each other on, encourage each other, be real, and vulnerable. It’s much easier to go through life with someone else by your side. Truly, this has been the key to the most growth-full years of our lives.
As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend. - Proverbs 27:17
A walk through all the sections
The Goal Section: I’m a goal setter. But, you may notice this section isn’t crazy long and elaborate. There’s a reason for that. This section is meant to be for the out of this world, gigantic, unfathomable, unattainable-on-your-own, pure faith goals. The goals where you sit down and go “I have no idea how this can happen God, but I trust you”. Then, here’s the best part. You go back over these constantly. You declare over them, speak life into them, you thank God that you have already received them, and you believe that without a shadow of a doubt God will fulfill these promises to you. The catch though? This is why being in prayer before you begin, is key. These goals are meant to align with God’s word and promises to you. So be in prayer about what those are. You may feel God is putting a huge faith goal on your heart that makes no sense, and seems unfathomable. Great! Those are the ones you want in here!
The Topic Index: This awesome section is a great spot to organize all the studies you’re doing. Let’s say you want to listen to one podcast a month. So your number 1 line could be called “podcasts” then, any time you’re journaling about your podcasts you put the number 1 sticker on the outer edge of your notes page in the growth notes section so that any time you’re flipping through and see a 1 you will know those are your podcast notes. This works great when you’re constantly taking notes on all sorts of topics and you have to keep switching back and forth. Now, you can just put a new coded sticker every time you start a new topic category and never lose those notes again!
The Growth Notes Section: You don’t need too much of a walk through here. This dotted note section is meant to be used as you journal anything and everything growth-full. Journal about sermons, podcasts, scripture, make charts, draw, paint. Whatever it is your studying or wherever God leads you, document it here.
The Prayer Section: I just love this section. Why? Because as good intended as I am, I really do accidentally, sometimes...occasionally, tell someone I’m going to pray for them, and then forget. I know, I feel terrible. But, since using this section in my Growth Book it’s amazing not only how many people I remember to pray for, but I remember to follow up with them until I can confidently write a date next to their name that God answered my prayer. I love it!
The God's Faithfulness Section: This has been a life changer for me. Life moves fast, can anyone relate? But, this section forces me to slow down regularly and see God’s goodness and faithfulness around me. It forces me to recall and jot down the ways I saw God throughout my day. And what it really helps with, is showing you a timeline of moments God was evident in your life, so that when you feel like you may be walking alone you can look back and see that he has been walking the trail beside you this entire time.
The Book Log: This section is awesome for recording the books you’re reading throughout the year, and a great list to refer back to when you’re recommending books to friends! It's also pretty inspiring because once you get going and have a handful of books on there, you start to wonder how many more you can get through by the end of the year, and I've found, that I read far more than I had originally set out to accomplish.
The Bible Reading Chart: This section has been one of the most talked about features since day one. It gives such a great visual representation of the bible. It wasn’t until I saw this that I realized there are books I’ve gone my whole life without reading and they are only several chapters long! Some of these you could read on your lunch break! Plus, it’s a great motivator to keep going and a great way to track reading the bible in a year. I found that by using this I spent more days and time in the bible than I had in previous years.
To wrap up
I did warn you it was long didn't I ? Haha. I'm so sorry. But, we are beyond excited for this Growth Book. It was truly such a blessing to be able to work on a second version and get everything together to release it. God is so good and I truly am praying over these that in some way they would bless people immensely and they would feel God in ways unimaginable. Using this book has been such a motivation to keep growing, and it has really changed my relationship with God. I'm forever in awe of Him and so grateful He inspired this.